


In Carcere Soleant

by anotherouatwriter



Series: Swan Queen Weeks [4]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Emma and Regina deal with their demons, F/F, I'll post the triggers as the chapters get posted, There will be violence and references/flashbacks to troubled past on future chapters.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2016-09-12
Packaged: 2018-04-09 22:52:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4367375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anotherouatwriter/pseuds/anotherouatwriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Regina Mills and Emma Swan wake up in a dark, cold room; with no memories of how or when they got there. The only thing they know, is that the cage is not only keeping them in, but is also keeping something else out. </p><p>Swan Queen Week Summer 2015, day 7: Trapped Together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt to write something scary, so let's see how it turns out! (Don't expect I'll be the next Stephen King, though!) It will contain violence and references/flashbacks to troubled past on future chapters. I'll tag them as the story progresses. 
> 
> The story will beta-ed by the amazing cyr1988. 
> 
> Let me know what you guys think!

_Darkness_.

It was the first thing that came into her mind when Regina regained consciousness. She knew her eyes were open, but the darkness surrounding her didn't go away. Wherever she was, she was being held in a dark room.

Slowly, Regina sat up from the floor and tried to get familiar with her environment, which was nearly impossible when you couldn't rely on your sight. She tried using her other senses,  _feel the world around you_ , just like Rumplestilskin had taught her when she was her apprentice.

She sniffed, and a sterile scent filled her lungs. It was as if the room had been filled with bleach fumes. And it burned her from inside out.

Then, there was an unfamiliar, cold feeling that surrounded her. It was not the usual wintry atmosphere they had in Maine, it was more like a feeling of emptiness, hopelessness, and lack of safety.

She struggled to remember how she had ended up in this situation, but nothing would come to mind. Regina couldn't even remember the last time she had been with Henry. Had it been for his birthday or was it Christmas? Did they even celebrate Christmas or was it Hanukkah?

Absently, Regina ran her fingers through her hair, she winced when she realized that the region above her ear was sticky. With very little pleasure in carrying out her action, she bought her fingers to her mouth and tasted the sticky substance. The taste of iron was unavoidable. It was blood.

 _Magic_. That was the only possibility she could think of. She tried to create a fireball, but nothing happened when she extended her palm. It didn't matter how hard she concentrated to summon her powers, magic wouldn't happen. Regina lowered her gaze in an attempt to look at her hands, but it was completely pitch-black. The only way she knew her hands were still attached to her body was because she could feel them every time she clenched them.

It was at that precise moment, while she was pretending to be staring at her hands that a realization hit her hard- she was alone and was without her powers. Her trachea started constricting and Regina reminded herself to breath in and out slowly. She needed to keep her emotions in check, nothing good would come if she'd let fear overcome her meticulous mind. Even if she didn't have magic, she had gone through many panic attacks to know that anxiety would only make everything worse.

A thud followed by a short-lasting moan caught Regina's attention and her head snapped to the direction of the sound. It was the first indication she was not alone in this dark room. The other person, whoever it was, sounded like he/she was in pain.

"Who's there?" Regina said in a tone that did not show her fears, "Show your self," she commanded.

But no one did as the Queen said.

"Who is there?" she repeated, louder this time.

"Let's play a game,  _your Majesty_ ," a mocking tone stated, not replying to the question Regina had asked for the second time.

"What sort of game?"

"That is for me to know, and for you to find out," the eeriness on the voice made the hair on Regina's nape stand on end.

Before Regina could ask more questions, someone turned a switch on and light appeared from everywhere, impairing Regina's sight for a while. The former Evil Queen had to blink couple of times before her eyes got used to the bright, white light that had replaced the equally blinding darkness.

The first thing she did was to check her body. Ten fingers, ten toes. Her clothes gave her a clue to the last thing she had done- she was at a town hall meeting. But, she couldn't remember when it had taken place, that didn't tell her how much time has gone by since she had been held captive. A wave of relief washed her over when she realized that other than the blood from her head, there were no signs of damage.

Secondly, she checked the room, which was no ordinary chamber. It was a glass cell. All four walls, the roof, and the floor were made of transparent glass and it made Regina feel naked. She realized, however, that the glass was made to look in, and not out, because the outside view was completely dark, except for occasional red dots blinking on the distance.

Lastly, her eyes stopped at an indiscernible lump lying on the floor - the only thing that was in the glass cell with her. She crawled closer to other living being who shared the unique quarters with her and bile rose in her throat as she noticed that the lump had a blonde mane.

"Emma!" she yelled and stood up to run towards the other woman.

Regina let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when she realized that Emma was alive. She was breathing. Her knees gave up on her, either from exhaustion or relief, and Regina's body dropped next to Emma's.

Emma seemed fine, not taking into consideration that she was unconscious, of course. But at least there were no signs of blood or other signs of physical trauma.

"Emma," Regina repeated in a whisper and gently shook the blonde "Wake up," she pleaded, even if she wanted it to sound like an order.

" _Gina_...?" came out as the blonde's weak response, and slowly Emma opened her eyes. It took less time for Emma to recover from whatever trauma had knocked her out, "Where the fuck are we?" she asked after she sat up with Regina's help. "Besides the obvious answer, I mean. I can see we are locked in a glass cell"

"I don't know," the brunette answered and watched as Emma rubbed her head. The Sheriff seemed very calm about the situation "When I woke up, everything was pitch-black. Then, I heard something being dropped, which I assume it was you," Regina rushed into telling everything that had happened to the sheriff, "And then, some creepy voice said that we were going to play a game and the lights were turned on," she summarized the information she looked and hoped that Emma couldn't hear her anxiety.

But the blonde knew her too well. "We'll figure a way to get out of this place, Regina," Emma said, taking Regina's hand, "I promise."

Truth was, Emma was terrified as well, but she was doing a better job on hiding her emotions. Only one of them got to panic, and apparently, that was Regina.

Regina just nodded.

"Did you try magic?"

"It doesn't work," Regina replied, "I can't even feel it inside of me, it's as if this... cell... or whatever this place is, blocks it,"

Emma looked down at her hands, "I was wondering what was missing," she stated with a frown. She had never realized how much she had grown used to her magic.

Trying to busy her thoughts with other worrying matters, Emma looked around, "I don't see a way to get out."

"That's probably a good thing."

"What do you mean?" Emma raised her head to see Regina. The darker woman looked pale.

"Because if we can't get out, they can't come in," Regina replied pointing out of their glass cage.

And that's when Emma saw them. The demons that tortured her at night. And judging by Regina's expressions, she could see her demons, too.

This was going to be interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the feedback, guys! 
> 
> And thanks to my awesome cyr1988 beta, who's also helping me with out the descriptions :)

Sleeping didn't come easy to either woman. Emma wasn't sure if it was because there was no way they could tell if it was day or night and their circadian rhythm were completely off. Or, if it wasn't for the fact that they were caged in a glass box, surrounded by their demons that kept them wide-awake. It wasn't like she was tired and needed to sleep anyway.

The blonde had tried to start a conversation with Regina several times, but ever since she saw her demons, Regina was glued to her spot, staring out of the glass with a haunted look. Looking through the glass, Emma wondered what got Regina in such a trance, but it didn't matter how much she tried, she could only see her own demons, and not Regina's.

"You know what's weird?" Emma started rambling, to keep the silence at bay. The silence was deafening. She hated it because it allowed the demons in her mind. She did not want those emotions or doubts. She never bothered to see if Regina would answer because she never did after the demons first appeared. Emma continued with her chatter, "I'm not even hungry. And you know about my appetite."

The observation seemed to catch Regina's attention, because she turned from the glass and looked at Emma, "Well, that's indeed strange."

"And we haven't had the need to use the bathroom, thank God! Because you're beautiful but I don't think I'd like to see you taking a dump." Regina's jaw dropped "Oh, I'm sorry. Should I say _number 2_  instead?"

"You think I'm beautiful?"

Emma rolled her eyes "Even blind people can see you're gorgeous! You had a magic mirror telling you that you're the fairest of them all."

"That's a Disney misconception. Sydney served other purposes than mere vanity."

"Anyways. How long have we been here? Feels like days, but we haven't eaten nor slept. Though, I don't feel like I need to," Emma pointed out. "It's like... "

"We're stuck in time." Regina finished for her before returning her gaze to her demons, "What do you think our captor has in store for us?"

Emma shrugged "Dunno. You were the Evil Queen."

"And you're the Dark One," Regina remarked in a deadpan tone.

The blonde winced at the remark. "Sorry, shouldn't have brought our titles into this."

"It's alright, dear," Regina waved her hand, dismissing Emma's concern, "It's not like I'm not constantly being reminded about that," she added, pointing with her index finger to a place outside of the glass wall, where Emma only saw blackness.

"The Evil Queen is one of your demons?"

"One of the many I have, yes," the brunette replied, "Can't you see my demons?"

"Nope," Emma replied and stood next to Regina, "What do you see?" she asked, curious to see whether Regina would tell her or not.

Before the former Queen could even think if she wanted to share her malignant spirits with Emma, the room around them changed. And suddenly, they were not in a glass cage anymore.

The scenery had changed to a place Emma had never been. They were standing in the middle of an open field, the grass up to their shins. On the horizon, Emma could only see trees and an abandoned stable. Everything was surrounded in a dense fog.

Unconsciously, Emma took Regina's hand and laced their fingers. "Where are we?" Emma whispered, hoping she wouldn't attract unwanted attention.

"This is the place I grew up," she explained, and Emma saw her swallow, "Or at least something that resembles it."

Emma hoped the place didn't look like that when Regina was growing up, because it was nothing but sinister and ghostly. The sun wasn't out. Dark, stormy clouds were out and threatened to unleash torrential rains. The trees were barren and looked like leaves wouldn't grow. The stables weren't fit to hold horses. It was a minute away from being kindling in a forest fire. It was definitely not a place for a little girl to grow up. She took advantage of the silence to look around, hoping to find clues to why they were there and what did they had to do to go back to their cage.

Suddenly, she saw something approaching them. At first, it was a black blur, but as it came closer, Emma realized it was something that looked almost identical to a horse. However, it was severely undernourished; its bony framework was visible from a distance. Its mane, rather than regular hair was a long veil that resembled black fire. And of course, it had red eyes.

"What fuck is that?" Emma asked when the horse had slowed his gallop.

"That, is my horse, or was,"

"You owned one of the four horses of the apocalypse?"

Regina didn't even bother to answer Emma's question. She was taken back by her horse's appearance. The horse seemed rather cagey of Regina as well. The animal approached to them cautiously.

Judging him by his gruesome appearance, Emma took few steps backwards, but Regina stayed rooted in her place. Regina let go of Emma's hand after the blonde tried to pull her backwards.

"Regina!" Emma yelled in a whisper. "It's gonna hurt you."

" _His_  name is Rocinante," Regina raised a hand towards the horse "And he'd never hurt me. He was a true friend." She explained while Rocinante sniffed around her, deciding if she was his Regina or not. After a moment or two, he pressed his forehead to Regina's palm.

"What happened to him?"

"I killed him." Regina's voice broke a little bit while she confessed her deed "His only sin was that I loved him too much. At the end, his death was in vain."

"I'm sorry." Emma placed one hand on Regina's shoulder and squeezed it. Regina had once told her the price she had had to pay to enact the curse. It was clear that the horse had been collateral.

Regina stayed in silence, but her hand went from Rocinante's forehead to his neck, where she started petting him.

"I'm sorry, Rocinante." she told him "I'm sorry I was so caught in revenge that I hurt you," tears started rolling down Regina's cheeks.

Emma, despite of her fear towards the monstrous looking horse, placed her hand over Regina's. Keeping it in place over Rocinante's soft fur. Regardless of being behind Regina, she didn't press her front against the other woman's back, considering it would be wise to respect the brunette's personal space.

"This is Emma," the brunette told the horse "She also sacrificed her life for me."

Rocinante pressed his head against Emma's shoulder, and the blonde took it as a sign of acceptance and mutual respect. Emma was still not used to the horse's supernatural appearance, but she didn't back off. This animal obviously meant a great deal to Regina.

"You've got to let him go, Regina," Emma commented "I'm sure that Rocinante isn't angry at you for what you did, Regina."

"How can you possibly know?"

"Because I'm not angry," the blonde replied, "Because, for you, I'd do it all over again."

Regina didn't say anything to Emma's confession, but Emma felt how the brunette leaned against her body. The former Queen looked at her stallion for few minutes before sliding her hand from below Emma's and snaking her arms around the horse's neck.

"Thank you," she whispered to the horse's ear, but it was loud enough for Emma to hear. "I love you." she added before stepping away from her horse, her back now fully pressed against Emma's front.

Emma snaked her arms around Regina's waist, hoping it would provide support and protection to the brunette. The brunette placed her hands over the blonde's, as she heard Rocinante neigh and ran away from them, into the mist in the woods.

"Goodbye, Rocinante."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger: Bullying
> 
> Thanks you all for your support! I'd also like to say that my best friend just came to visit and I haven't seen her in 4 years, I don't think I'll update while she's here so don't expect an update before the 20th of this month. (sorry!)
> 
> On a side note, big applause to my awesome friend Chris (cyr1988) for all her help with this fic!
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter!
> 
> M.

The prairie where Regina had spent her childhood days disappeared as fast as it appeared, and once again they were in the glass cell surrounded by their demons.

Neither woman moved for a while. Emma was still embracing Regina, trying to comfort the other woman. And Regina found out, for the first time in her life, that maybe it was not so bad to have someone who would knew all her darkest secrets.

 _Love is weakness_. Her mother's words echoed in her mind, but, Emma's words were much louder than Cora's:  _No, it is strength_. Regina squeezed Emma's hands gently and rested her head against Emma's shoulder.

"So, we are here to face our demons," Emma pointed out.

"It seems that way, yes."

Emma stayed in silence, looking through the glass to the other side, where her own fears lurked around. The quietness unsettled Regina, who untangled herself from Emma's arms and turned on her heels to face the blonde.

"What's the matter, Emma?"

"Nothing," she replied, shaking her head and facing Regina, "I just think I should warn you, since my demons are out there, too.  _Hic sunt dracones_."

Regina raised an eyebrow at Emma's words. "You know Latin?"

"Just that, and  _Carpe Diem_. I'm the idiot, remember?" Emma chuckled.

Regina gently slapped Emma's shoulder, because even though she loved trading barbs with the blonde woman, she hated when Emma sold herself short. She'd never admit it, but Emma was almost perfect in every single way, and it upset her that the blonde always pointed out her flaws rather than her strengths.

"There was a replica of an old map in one of my foster homes," Emma explained. "As a kid, I didn't really care much about the map, but there was this awesome, red dragon with those words written below its tail. Of course, my foster parents didn't care enough to explain the meaning to me, so I asked the school's librarian. She translated the phrase to English: here be dragons; and explained it to me."

 _Here be dragons_. Regina was familiar with the phrase; she had studied Latin as a girl in the Enchanted Forest and took some more refresher courses for a while in Storybrooke. She also knew what it meant, it was used in maps to mark dangerous or unexplored territories. If she had to be honest with herself, Emma couldn't have chosen a better description for their situation.

She took Emma's hands on her own and pulled Emma a little bit closer to her, "We'll face all of our demons together." Regina said, looking straight into Emma's green eyes.

Emma nodded. "Maybe we should try get some sleep," she proposed, laying down on the glass floor and patting the spot next to her for Regina to follow her example. "I'm sure whatever this hell is, it will drain us emotionally."

Without complaining, Regina copied Emma's movement and laid next to her. Then, she took Emma's hand and rolled to one side, making Emma the big spoon. Emma didn't seem to mind, because she didn't pull away. Instead, she shifted closer and placed her other arm below Regina's head so that the brunette could use it as a pillow.

The next time Regina opened her eyes, she was still in Emma's arms, but they were lying in what looked like an abandoned playground. Reluctantly, Regina let go of the body that had kept her warm and protected while she slept. She pushed herself up to a sitting position.

"Emma," she gently shook the sleeping blonde, "Wake up."

While Emma took her time to stretch her limbs, Regina decided to further study the place that materialized during their slumber. The playground almost looked like a common elementary school outdoor area. In fact, if it wouldn't be for the cracked, unpainted, pavement she'd be sure they were at Henry's school.

The school itself was in a deplorable condition, the walls were of a gray color and most of the windows were cracked. From what she could tell, half of the rooms were in the dark and the few light bulbs that seemed to be working seemed to blink every once in a while, signaling that they would soon die, too. Regina wondered what kind of parents would send their children to a facility that didn't seem very safe.

Regina noticed that there were not many children in the playground. Actually, she could only see one little girl playing with two dolls from where she was sitting. The girl was not facing them, but her blonde curls fell down her back in a familiar way.

In a sudden jump, Emma was already up and frantically looking around. In a very morose way, she said, "Oh, no."

"What is it?" the brunette asked as she stood up.

Above them, the sky had become overcast and the temperature had dropped to a freezing temperature. It was obvious that a big storm was coming.

"I know this place."

That much was clear to Regina. But, before Regina could ask for more information, they heard Emma's last name being called by someone. She turned around to see a group of strange-looking creatures walking towards them.

Taking into account that Emma grew up in a world with no magic, it was clear the creatures must be children, but they looked more like imps than humans. Their hands looked more like claws. Their arms were long and hung freely from their tiny chests. Below the crimson-colored skin, veins and muscles were prominently marked. But, what startled Regina the most, were their facial features: their heads were rounder and bigger. Their ears were pointy and outwardly directed. Their teeth were pointy and looked razor sharp. And on their foreheads, ridged horns were visible.

The group of imps was leaded by a wretched one who had horns bigger than the rest of his gang and a tail that swung from one side to the other.

"Hey, Swan!" he yelled at the girl, "Do you still believe in that fairytale crap?" The boy laughed, "I bet you do. Does it make you feel special? Like a princess? Let me tell you something, Swan," he pushed Emma from the chair where the girl had been sitting and the girl fell to the floor "You are not special. You are a waste of space."

Little Emma stood up and clenched her hands to fists, "Leave me alone!"

But he didn't leave her alone. Soon, the other imps joined the bullying, surrounding Emma in a small circle blocking all possible escape routes.

"Your parents didn't even want you!"

"Who would want you? You are stupid and ugly!"

"You should just die!"

And then, they started chanting, " _Orphan! Orphan! Orphan!_ "

Regina looked around, hoping to find a teacher who would end little Emma's misery, but the two supervisors were too deep into their conversation.

Besides her, Emma was frozen to the spot. It was clear the scene affected her as much as it did to her younger self. It was obvious that, even after all those years, it still hurt Emma the fact that her parents abandoned her. The Emma standing next to her might be older and wiser, but she looked as broken and scared as the little girl in front of them. And it broke Regina's heart.

"Stop it!" she yelled before she could even think about the possible consequences.

Not really caring if she hurt them, Regina pushed the children away so she could get to little Emma and took the little girl in her arms before hugging her tightly.

The children didn't seem to care that Regina was an adult and they needed to respect her, because they began screaming like banshees. Their eyes turned completely black and they raised their claws towards the hugging duo.

Screaming, the children walked towards the grown-up in a menacing way, closing the distance between them and Regina couldn't do anything but hold little Emma protectively and walk backwards, until she hit a wall. She was trapped.

A painful cry escaped Regina's mouth as some of the claws slashed her skin open. It was clear they wanted to hurt Emma, and Regina was just collateral damage. Instead of letting go of the little girl, Regina held her tighter to her chest and protected the girl's face with one of her hands, as the little demonic imps kept on tearing and biting at Regina.

"Emma!" she called out to the older blonde, who was still rooted to the same spot. "Emma, please help!" Regina implored at the other woman, because she didn't know how much longer she'd be able to fend off the hellions attacking her.

The scream carried a tone of despair, and it seemed to snap Emma out of her trance. The blonde jumped towards the freaky children who surrounded Regina and her younger self. One by one, she took on the children and pushed them away. When Emma finally reached Regina, she put herself between the brunette and the group of children and yelled at them.

"I said leave me alone!"

Emma's yell was followed by a loud thunder and raindrops started to fall.

"You are still worthless," said the leader of the bullies.

"No, I am not." Emma tried to calm herself, because she didn't know what would happen if she punched him in the face.

"You think that just because you found the couple that conceived you, you found your parents? You think that just because the Evil Queen doesn't want to kill you, she's your friend? You think that just because you're in Henry's life, you're his mother?" he laughed, and Emma saw only red. "You're pathetic."

Emma grabbed the kid by the collar and lifted him off the ground to her eye level so that she could see him eye to eye.

The sky was pitch black now, as if the sun had ceased to exist. The only light was coming from the flicking lights of the classrooms. And the rain was coming down in a torrential downpour.

"Hit me," he tempted her, "I know you want to. You always wanted to punch me."

A lightning bolt, which was followed by a second, much stronger thunder, and its light, illuminated for a few seconds everything around them.

Behind her, she felt Regina moving closer to her. "Emma," she let out, almost in a whisper, "You are better than this."

And she was. Emma had always been better than all her bullies. And she will always be.

"You are pathetic, Roger Smith," the blonde dropped the kid to the floor, "I feel sorry that you have to push other people down to feel good about yourself."

"You're just too much of a coward to punch me." Roger stood up from the ground with a smirk that showed his pointy teeth.

"No, I'm brave enough to walk away." Emma stated.

After sliding an arm around Regina's waist, she guided the brunette away from the bullies.

As they walked away from the group of children with Little Emma still safe in Regina's hands, the school's playground slowly morphed into something else. It was the first time they had seen the transition, and now they knew they never left the cage. It was the same cell with another stage.

"I know this place." Regina stiffened under Emma's embrace and hugged the little girl in her arms tighter.

"Me too," the blonde replied, "The Evil Queen's chambers."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the support! And thanks for my beta cyr1988, who's help is essential!
> 
> TW: physical abuse.

"So, we're in your personal chambers in your castle?" said Emma while walking around the room, looking for clues, "Do you have any idea what might happen now?"

"I don't know," said Regina with a defeated sigh.

Of course, she knew that the Evil Queen was going to be one of her demons, she just didn't expect for it to be so soon. Regina was not ready for whatever the Evil Queen had in store. Frankly, she didn't think she'd ever be ready for that.

"My queen," a voice startled them, "News, from the White Kingdom."

It was a familiar voice, to both of them. A voice they hadn't heard in a while. Gently, Regina trusted little Emma with Emma and transferred the little girl into Emma's arms. Then, she walked towards the source of the voice. Her heart beating faster with every step she took.

"Graham?" Regina asked.

Regina ignored the fact that Graham had news, which were probably not new to her, and caressed Graham's cheek. He flinched at the contact, and the movement reminded Regina that in the Enchanted Forest, they were not lovers. She didn't have time for lovers in the Enchanted Forest.

"Your majesty?" the hunter asked, confused by the display of affection.

She removed her hand from Graham's cheek and asked, "What is the news?"

"Snow White is pregnant," he replied. His voice was almost steady, but at the end of the statement, his speech flickered.

" _Men without their hearts don't show emotion in their voices_ ," an inner voice reminded her. Regina studied Graham in silence before commenting on Snow's pregnancy. Unlike the past encounters with their demons, Graham seemed like his normal self. Granted, his facial features were not as soft at the late Sheriff's but he didn't have any diabolical resemblance.

Was he really the demon she had come to face? Or did she have to figure something out?

The doubt made Regina clear her throat and put her Evil Queen mask on. "So the brat is pregnant," she tried to inject venom in the statement but Emma was not buying it, and neither was Graham. "What else?"

"I made acquaintances with a very peculiar friend while I was there. His name is Robin Hood," Graham said, "He claimed he could break into any vault, so I dared him to break into yours."

"Did he manage to break in?" she asked. Her voice breaking as she did, because she knew Robin, and she knew he could break into any room he wanted to.

"Yes, he did." Graham took a step closer to her, "And, he gave me something that's rightfully mine. Something that you took without consent." he grabbed Regina by the neck, "I thought I'd feel fear. But I feel so much anger," the hunter added while he started to choke the brunette.

"Gra - ham..." the former Queen struggled to say his name, "Please..."

"You took my heart, Regina!" he yelled, "You made me do all those terrible things!"

"I'm ... sorry," she muttered, because she was. She regretted so much, all the things she did as the Evil Queen, and especially the things she made Graham do.

"You will be!" Graham shouted and applied more force to his grip around Regina's neck. He started lifting Regina's petite body until she was looking straight to his eyes. "Your reign of terror ends today."

During her dark age, Regina never choked anyone to death. Choking was one of Cora's favorite disciplinary methods. Regina, being on the receiving end once too many times of this harsh punishment, hated the squeezing sensation and the following panic that set in a few seconds later.

Regina felt her head pulsing, probably from the compromised blood flow. She was sure it would explode some time soon. Her vision started to cloud and she tried to gasp for air, but it was pointless.

"Let go of her!" Regina heard someone said, and it felt like coming home, "Let her go, Graham. You'll kill her!"

Emma. Regina thought. And then, she blacked out.

* * *

When Regina came back to her senses, the first thing she heard was voices.

"I know you're scared, kid. I am too. But we need to be brave right now."

"Emma?" Regina asked, sitting up and slowly opening her eyes. They were in Storybrooke. "Are we home?"

"No." Emma replied coldly, "When I tried to get Graham off you, we transported to Storybrooke or some version of it anyway." She shrugged and looked at the empty streets.

Emma looked down at Regina. Angry bruises started to appear in her neck, they were proof that their encounter with Graham had indeed happened and it was not just a product of their imagination.

Regina's gaze shifted from the grown up Emma to the little one, who was holding onto Emma like a lifeline. The girl had been crying, and she still looked shaken, probably from the scene she just witnessed.

"Is it true?" Emma asked, "What he said? Graham. Is it true you took his heart out?"

The former Queen took a deep breath, because she knew this conversation was unavoidable. "Yes. I took his heart when he failed to kill your mother," she replied while standing up and dusting off her slacks.

"Did he... Did you return it before you cursed everyone to Storybrooke?"

"No."

"You killed him. Didn't you? It wasn't a heart attack," tears started running down Emma's face. "Henry was right. You killed Graham!"

"Emma, please." Regina took a step forward. Emma held her little self in a similar manner that she had seen David holding Emma, placing one hand on the back of the girl's head in a protective way.

"Don't come closer!" Emma yelled and held the little girl closer to her, "I thought - I thought you changed for Henry!"

"I did!"

"You killed Graham after you adopted Henry!" Emma said in an accusing tone, "I never judged you for your days as the Evil Queen, but Graham. Graham was so many years after that!"

"Yes! I did!" Regina admitted, "I was jealous and I was scared. The curse was weakening. He was starting to remember and I was afraid of what would happen. I did something horrible and I have to live with that decision every day! Every time I see your sheriff's badge, I want to cry. It is a constant reminder that I killed an innocent and good man."

Around them, Storybrooke shifted into their glass cell. Apparently, Graham was not a demon she needed to overcome, but rather, a confession she needed to share.

"Emma, you need to understand."

"There's nothing to understand. You are a monster," Emma said, not raising her voice but cutting Regina deep with those words. "Just, stay away from us." Emma added and walked towards the furthest corner in the room.

Regina decided to respect the blonde's wishes, and dragged her feet towards the opposing corner - so much for having the grace of a Queen. It was when she had her back against the glass wall that the exhaustion, both mental and physical, took their toll. She slowly slid downwards and hugged her knees tightly.

" _You are a monster_." Emma's words echoed in her mind.

She felt insignificant. Not because she had almost died, but because the only person that had never seen her as the Evil Queen had now learned the truth. Regina was rotten to the core. There was no redemption for her. And with that ugly reality, she cried herself to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not dead - yey!
> 
> I've been just way to busy with university. But now, I finally have 3 weeks of christmas holidays so I hope I'll be able to publish weekly.
> 
> My beta, Chris, suggested that I should point out this is canon divergent after season 4 finale. I guess it's also a good time to point out that I've stopped watching OUAT and since I rely on the episode summaries I get from Chris I won't really include them on my stories. (I'll catch up during summer)

Emma studied Regina's slumbering body at the opposing corner. The woman made some jerky movements in her sleep and Emma was sure Regina was having a nightmare.

The blonde sighed and tightened her arms around the little girl who had fallen asleep in her arms. She looked down at the younger version of herself: so innocent, so pure. Pure because her parents had taken her darkness away and put it inside Lily, she reminded herself.

Then, she returned her sight to Regina and wondered, of all the people who had wronged Regina so badly, who was the one that ultimately molded her into becoming the Evil Queen.

"You are amongst the ones to blame," the eerie voice replied, because, of course, it was reading her mind.

"What are you talking about?"

"You wronged Regina. You and your goody two-shoes parents."

"That's a lie!"

"Is it, now?" Emma got goosebumps when the voice laughed in a manic way, "Tell me, Savior, would Regina's life have gone in a different direction if your mother didn't tell Cora about Daniel? What would happen if she wouldn't have lost her first love as such a young age?"

Several images appeared, surrounding Emma. There were several clips, each playing a small glimpses of Regina's life. The one of Cora squishing a heart while a young man dropped dead, Regina running towards him, calling his name and kissing him stood out to Emma. Another clip of images of Regina's wedding night with Leopold and how he took her virginity grabbed her attention as she tried to look away from Daniel's death. Emma wept as she saw more images of Regina's painful and unhappy life as Leopold's queen.

"Please, stop."

"The truth hurts, doesn't it?" It pointed out, "And then, you came, the Savior. But you didn't do much saving, did you? At least, not to the person who needed you the most."

Now, there were images of Emma throwing Regina against a wall in the hospital's locker room, and another clip of Emma punching her in the graveyard, and yelling, " _No, he's mine_!"

More images of Regina always being left behind, alone and crying appeared.

" _You've reunited mother and son_ ," Gold pointed out to a sad Regina. No one else seemed to notice. Not even Henry, or Emma. They are together. Regina is broken once again, and no one seems to care.

It feels like a knife to her heart. And, she sobs and let out a pained "No more."

By now, little Emma and Regina have been awakened. Little Emma was also crying, because she was disturbed by the images that her older self just watched.

"You are hurting her," Emma says as she hugs the girl tighter.

"And yet, you hurt Regina. You knew you were hurting her and yet, you still kept doing it."

Now, new images appeared, showing of when Emma took Henry to New York without asking Regina. Another one showed the time where Emma blamed her for Archie's death. And a new clip appeared, showing what happened when she brought Marian back.

And once again, Regina is broken and alone.

"Emma."

She heard her name being called and she raised her head to meet with Regina's eyes.

"Please don't listen to him. You did hurt me, but I did hurt you as well."

Echoes of what Emma said moments ago, " _You are a monster,_ " came after Regina's reply. It was repeated, time after time. And, Emma could see how it cut into Regina's soul every time she heard the sentence.

"I'm sorry," said Emma, managing to stand up with the girl in her arms, "I'm so sorry, for everything."

"It's ok," it came as a weak response.

"No, it's not. You need someone who supports you; you need a person who will be there for you. And I'm not that person. I keep on disappearing. I keep running every time I think you'll slip. But I've slipped more than you have."

"You've been the most important aspect to my redemption, Emma," she placed her hands on Emma's cheeks and wiped away the tears, "Even more than Henry. Deep in my heart, I knew he would always love me, because I am his mother. But you, I knew I had to work for your friendship."

Emma leaned into the touch. "I'm sorry," she repeated over and over, because she didn't know what else to say.

"I forgive you, Emma," Regina whispered, but it spoke volumes to Emma, "If you forgive me, too."

Emma didn't say anything, she just snaked her free arm around the brunette's waist and hugged her. Hoping that the embrace would convey the feelings that Emma felt for her. Regina hugged her back, sandwiching the little girl between both of them, and rubbing Emma's back with her thumbs.

"It's alright, Emma," she comforted Emma and felt Emma tightening in her embrace. Emma's fist were grasping Regina's shirt as if her life depended on it.

It took a while until Emma relaxed and her sobs became soft hiccups.

"You think that was a demon?" she asked, placing the little girl on the floor.

Regina shook her head and said, "You may be plenty of things, Emma, but you are not one of my demons. And I sincerely hope I'm not one of yours."

"You're not."

Regina nodded, feeling a weight being lifted from her heart. Reluctantly, she let go of Emma. And, in a futile attempt to keep warm, Regina put her arms around herself.

"I think that was just our captor playing with our minds," Regina commented.

"Still have no idea of who they might be?"

"No," Regina shook her head, "This magic is something I've never felt. It's beyond dark. It's... It feels like death," She unconsciously shivered and wished she could hug Emma again.

Emma looked down at her younger self. The girl had fallen asleep, probably from exhaustion. Her cheeks were still damp from the tears.

She thought about what Regina had just said. Magic that feels like death? What did that mean? Were they dead? Were they in the underworld? Hell, perhaps? Having to fight her demons was the definition of hell.

She looked around looking for clues, such as tall, bright flames? They were still in the glass box, but the demons surrounding it had disappeared. A little bit away from them, Emma noticed something that she hadn't seen before: a trapdoor.

"Regina, look!" she pointed at the newly found door. "I think we made it, we finished whatever sick game this was!" Emma added.

"I don't know, Emma. It seems rather easy," Regina replied. "If we were put here to face our demons, I should have some more demons to fight."

"Maybe we were meant to solve our unfinished business and the demons were placed here to push us," Emma tried to reason, when Regina didn't answer, she added, "Look, it might not be the way out, but we are not going to find a way out if we stay here. We need to believe that whatever is behind this trapdoor will take us a bit closer to Storybrooke, to _Henry_."

"It seems you Charmings can't pass up a chance to deliver a hope speech," Regina said, but her annoyed tone didn't reach her eyes, and the curves or her lips curled up a bit.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Do you trust me?" she asked, extending a hand towards Regina.

"Yes."

They walked, hand in hand, towards the trapdoor. A faint light could be seen through the doorframe. Whatever was on the other side, it shone brightly than their current room. Then, Emma let go of Regina's hand, so that she can hand the sleeping girl over to the brunette.

The blonde knelt besides the trapdoor and lifted it up. She saw into the newly discovered place. It looked like a neverending tunnel.

"I'll go first, and tell you if it's safe."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: mentions bigotry and homophobia!

Seconds felt like centuries, as Regina waited for Emma's signal. She looked into the tunnel again, where Emma had disappeared into and was greeted with silence.

What if Emma fell into her death? What if Regina was left alone in the glass box with their demons? Her heart started beating faster. She was not sure she could go through it alone.

"Is she dead?" the little girl asked, voicing Regina's thoughts, and Regina wondered how long she's been awake.

"I don't know," was the honest answer she gave to the child, because she had swore she would be trustworthy with Emma - any version of Emma. "But if there's something I know about Emma Swan, is the fact that she's hard to kill," she added, trying to make the girl feel better.

"I don't want to die."

Regina held her tighter, as if the younger Emma would be the one protecting her and not the other way around. "You won't," she said, but this time, she was not so sure she was telling the truth.

The silence engulfed them one more time.

And then, "Regina! Can you hear me?"

She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Emma was alive. "Yes!" she yelled, a little bit too enthusiastic.

"Do you think it's a proper time for an Adele joke?" Emma asked, and she didn't wait for the answer before she started singing, "Hello from the other side!"

Regina rolled her eyes but she couldn't suppress a smile. She loved that Emma always had the power to make her feel safe. Wait? _Love_?

She shook her head, forcing the thoughts away, "Is it safe?"

"Yup! And, it's a soft landing. Send the kid."

Regina looked at the girl, "Are you ready to leave this horrible room?" The little girl didn't say anything, but then, she let go of Regina and sat on the edge of the trapdoor's frame. Regina gently said to the little Emma, "Just tell Emma when you're ready to go." Little Emma nodded and yelled, "I'm ready!" and then slid off the ledge.

Regina waited for the all-clear from Emma. This time, Regina mentally told herself to be relaxed and to trust Emma. She sat on the spot where little Emma had sat moments ago and patiently waited for her turn to come.

"I got her!" she heard Emma say, "C'mon, Gina!"

"Here we go," she said out loud, even though she was all by herself. And then, she pushed herself off the edge and into the tunnel.

She closed her eyes and held her breath, as she felt her body plummeting. The sinking feeling was impossible to ignore, and she wondered how much longer was the free fall before she was reunited with Emma. Both of them.

"Gina," the brunette felt two strong hands squeezing her shoulders, "You're alright."

Slowly, she opened her eyes and she saw Emma kneeling in front of hers. She wore one of those smiles that were so in short supply since she had become the Dark One. Without thinking about it twice, she jumped forwards and hugged the blonde, who was shocked at first but then reciprocated the hug.

"I thought you died!"

Emma chuckled "One would think you would be used to that feeling."

"One would think you're an idiot," Regina replied, smacking the blonde's arm. "And don't call me Gina!" she added before taking in her surroundings.

They were in a hallway decorated with furniture from the eighties. The floor, the roof and the walls were painted in different shades of yellow. It was distasteful but it was an improvement from their glass cell. There were no windows and just one door at the end of the hallway. Her eyes stopped at a sign above them, it said, "Welcome to Memory Lane."

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked Emma.

"It means to remember something from your past."

Regina rolled her eyes, "Yes, I know. But do you think - "

"Yes," Emma interrupted her. "Welcome to my childhood," she added in a faux-mocking tone but Regina could see through her bravado.

"Are you sure you want to open old wounds?"

Emma laughed, and it sounded more like the Dark One's laugh, which was chilling unsettling. "Regina, ever since we were put in this hell, we've been opening old wounds."

Regina nodded, unsure about the whole situation and took Emma's hand in hers to show support. They would go through this together. They had to. The pair started walking down the hallway, with little Emma walking a bit in front of them. Little Emma was glad that she was not in the glass cell anymore.

As they approached the door, Regina could see the details on it. It was made of wood and it had different floral patterns carved in it. On the upper half of the door, there was a swan carving. The door was a piece of art.

Little Emma had reached the door before them and was waiting for the two adults to catch up with her. She was rocking on the balls of her feet when they reached the door. Regina couldn't help but finding the girl absolutely adorable and wondered how anyone could give her up.

"Ready?" she asked the older Emma, squeezing her hand. Emma didn't answer, but she opened the door and they walked through it.

Unlike the scenarios from Regina's past, this room was bright and warm. There were toys scattered all over the place and the younger blonde, who seemed even much younger now, didn't think twice before sitting on the floor and playing with two Barbies.

"Do you recognize this place?"

Emma shrugged. "I feel like I've been here before, but I can't remember it," she explained.

"T'was my first room," the little girl who was playing on the floor commented. "I liked it here, Mrs. Swan sat there wif me," she added pointing at a window seat.

At the mention of the moment, the memory came back to Emma and Regina felt her tensing up. She opened her mouth to ask what was going on but before she could produce any words the door opened and three people walked into the room. A white man, his arm looped around a white woman's waist, and an Asian woman.

"Emma," the man knelt in front of the girl who had been playing with the Barbies, "Remember Mrs. Hung? She's going to take you to your new house."

"No!" the little girl said in a pleading tone, "I just got here. I don't want to go back."

"We already talked about this, Emma," the man tried to reason with her, "We can't keep you."

"I'll be good!" the girl said, tears running down her cheeks.

Regina wanted to reach forward and take the girl in her arms, but Emma's strong grip stopped her. She turned around to see a paralyzed Emma, tears threatening to leave her eyes too. Around her, the world faded, and the only thing that mattered to Regina was the woman standing in front of her.

For the second time in less than a hour, Regina launched herself against Emma. Their bodies were so close together that there was no air between them. The brunette snaked her arms around the tense blonde and whispered into her ear.

"Emma. I know it hurt, but that's in the past. You have a family now, you have your parents, and Henry," she spoke sweetly. "And me, you have me," she added, and before she could make up for her slip, Emma relaxed and she embraced her back.

Neither of them came back to their bizarre reality until Regina felt someone poking her arm. She looked to her side to see the younger version of Emma. Now, there was no sign of distress in her face and she, again, seemed older. Regina frowned, a little bit confused; she knew that the younger Emma was not real, but why did she keep aging?

"Yes, Emma?" she asked the girl, who now looked to be in the middle of her teenage years.

"Don't make me go there."

"Where?"

"To the doctor."

Regina looked at the adult Emma, "Doctor?"

Emma closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Dr. Johnson," she said and opened her eyes slowly, "He was my psychiatrist from ages 13 to 15."

At least now, the aging made sense.

"I don't want to go through this one, Regina," the blonde confessed, and she sounded as hopeless as her younger version.

Regina placed her hands on Emma's arms and gently rubbed them, "I wish I could 'poof' us to somewhere safe, but you know there's no other way."

"I know," Emma agreed. "Before we go in, there's something I need to tell you," the blonde took a deep breath, "At age 13, I realized I liked girls a little bit too much. I was sent to a doctor because the foster parents on my last group home wanted to 'cure' me of my 'sinful nature.'"

Regina nodded and kept on rubbing Emma's shoulders.

"This guy, Dr. Johnson… He wasn't like Archie. He wanted to find a cure to homosexuality and put me and some other teens through several types of therapy. One day, I had enough of him and my foster parents and I ran away. That was my last group home."

"I'm sorry to hear that, dear. And, I'm very proud of you," Regina said after a moment of silence.

"Why? I ran away. I didn't face my problems."

"You didn't run away, Emma. You saved yourself from abusers," the brunette commented, "That's more than what I have to say for my younger self. So, I am proud of you."

A small smile appeared on Emma's face. It was small but it was there, and for Regina that was more than enough.

"Alright, let's get this over with," the blonde added, threading her hand with Regina's hand and walking through the only available door.

But they didn't walk into Dr. Johnson's office. They walked into a prison cell.

"Oh, for fucks' sake!" Emma growled. All of the possible scenarios, they walked into her prison cell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though homosexuality was not considered a disease since early 70's, it was not until 1987 that it was eliminated from the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).
> 
> I know Emma was born in '83 and in theory at the age of 15 (1998) her psychiatrist shouldn't have been a bigot. But we all know theory and practice are not always the same. And, well, as for Emma's foster parents, even by today's standards, a lot of people are stupid.


	7. Chapter 7

Regina looked around, taking in the place where Emma had lived for eleven months. Surrounding them was four walls, made of white bricks. There were no displays, any pictures, or decoration. There was only a small window with a chainlink screen. The opposite side of the window held a gray colored door, which didn't add any warmth to the already depressing, lifeless room.

Unconsciously, the brunette shivered. "Was it always this cold?" she asked. Since she didn't want to let go of Emma's hand, she simply moved closer next to the blonde to share some body heat.

Emma shrugged, "It's probably just my mood influencing the vision."

The sound of the door opening alerts the two women, who turn around to see a white, female guard, she was your average skinny brunette in her late 30s. The guard came into the cell and started talking to a not-so-young Emma who is gazing out of the window.

"Swan, you got mail." The inmate turns around to look at the guard, who keeps on blathering, "Know anyone in Phuket? I've got to open this in front of you. Those are the rules. Okay… Look. Car keys." She takes a set of car keys out to the package, "Hope you got the car it goes with. Nothing else. No letter. Sorry." She didn't seem very sorry, though. "But good news. You get a car when you get out," the guard looks at what Emma was holding on her hands, "And a baby. Congratulations!"

Both women remain in silence as the younger Emma is processing the information. Neal is most definitely not coming back for her. She's carrying Neal's child and is thinking what should she do with it? She's not fit to be a mother. That's for sure.

" _Of course, you're not fit to be a mother,_ " a voice echoes in the cell, " _You can't even keep a boyfriend for longer than a year._ "

" _And, you never had a proper mother figure in your life,_ " another voice pointed out, " _How do you know you won't kill the kid?_ "

" _You don't have a job. You don't even have a high school degree,_ " the first voice adds, " _The kid will probably starve to death._ "

"Stop," the inmate begged the voices in tears, "Please stop." She tried covering her ears, but she could still hear the mean words spoken to her.

" _You can't handle the truth, Emma?_ "

The girl laid down in a fetal position, hugging the pregnancy test close to her chest. "I know I'm not enough, but please leave me alone."

Around them, the room started to darken. The walls were no longer white but a dark shade of burgundy. The beams that came through the window were no longer the white light rays but now dark and gloomy, gray rays. Neither commented on it, as their attention focused solely on the tortured girl in front of them.

Regina's heart broke for both Emmas, the one living it and the one who lived it. "You were nothing but a child," Regina commented, fighting the urge to hug the blonde.

"I was not much older than you when you were forced to marry Snow's father," Emma replied and turned around to face Regina, "I had a shitty life, but so did you."

"The difference being that I'm responsible for your miserable life, for you ending up here," the brunette looked down at the girl who was crying herself to sleep.

"No, Regina," Emma said with a firm tone and with a finger lifting Regina's chin slightly upwards so that the brunette is looking at her, "Sure, you were the reason my parents thought it was a good idea to send me to another realm, but, you didn't make them do it. You didn't make all my foster parents abusive and cruel. You didn't make Neal leave me or send me to jail."

Regina was about to refute, when the voice of a little child broke the silence around them.

"Mommy?" It's a boy's voice crying out, "Mommy are you there?" He sounds scared, and their maternal instinct turns on. "Why did you leave me, mommy? Why did you give me to her? She's evil," the voice breaks a little, "Mommy, please save me. Mommy!"

And then, more sobs could be heard, but it wasn't the little boy anymore. It was the teen sleeping on the jail bed. The younger Emma was having a nightmare and they are trapped inside it. Without thinking twice about it, Regina walked to the younger Emma and sat on the bed. She put a hand on her face and when that didn't jolt young Emma up, Regina desperately tried to wake the teenager up by gently shaking her shoulders, but the blonde wouldn't wake up.

The brunette glanced at the Emma who was awake, silently asking what to do next. Emma had her ears covered, in the same way her younger self had tried to cover them a while ago. Regina extended a hand, motioning Emma to come closer to her.

Reluctantly, Emma sat next to Regina. Regina took one of Emma's hands away from her ears and placed it over the sleeping blonde. In the background, the boy's voice was still calling for his mom, but the volume was not as loud as before.

"You were afraid Henry would end up in a horrible house like the ones you had as a child," Regina stated and Emma nodded, "Are you still afraid of Henry being in an abusive house?" Emma shook her head. Regina kept on going with her spiel, "When you look at it now, do you believe that you made the right choice?"

Regina meant to keep her voice in a calm tone as she asked that last question. But her voice broke in the middle of her questioning, because she was afraid that Emma did regret giving up Henry.

"No," Emma replied firmly, gone was all the torture from her eyes. "I was not in a good place to be a mother. And you were… you are," she corrected herself, "the best mother I could had ever wished for my kid."

The brunette's eyes misted at that statement, but for the first time since they had been imprisoned, they were happy tears, "Thank you."

Emma nodded and leaned forward, pressing a kiss to Regina's cheek. It was a short, but sweet kiss, and for both women, it felt like going home. It felt as if they were back at 108 Mifflin Street and not in a depressing prison.

A clicking noise made Emma snap her eyes to the door. The cell was open.

"Come on, it's time to get out of here!" Emma stood up with a smile on her face. "I can't wait to see Henry and my parents, and even little Neal," she commented as she walked through the jail door.

They walked into another hallway. Unlike the previous one, this looked modern. The furniture was minimalist and the walls were made of white-painted bricks. The walls were not bare, but decorated with candid pictures of Emma, from when she left prison to when she arrived to Storybrooke.

At the end of the hallway, there was a closed door. Emma grabbed the doorknob and turned to face Regina, a smile on her face, "Ready to go home?" The brunette nodded with a smile on her face as well.

Slowly, the blonde twisted her wrist, imagining what was waiting for them on the other side of the door, maybe Storybrooke's forest, or the mines. Hell, she wouldn't even mind walking into the cannery. But, when Emma opened the door, she didn't expect to see what she saw.

Next to her, she felt Regina deflate. How foolish of them to think they were finally free!

They had walked through Emma's painful past, only just to end up in the same place where they had started. Emma dropped to her knees; she was exhausted, both physically and mentally.

There was a silhouette of a person sitting a dark corner of their glass cell that neither Emma nor Regina noticed their guest until the mysterious person clapped. After getting over the initial shock of not being alone anymore, they took their time to study the person.

The person was sitting with their legs elegantly crossed but other than noticing the black dress pants and the white spats over black wing tip shoes, the lack of light made it impossible for them to see beyond the intruder's legs.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I found that entertaining," said a deep, timbered voice. The silhouette was a man.

Emma stood up and clenched her fists. "Why are we still here?" she asked with very little patience, "We finished your game, I faced all my demons. We're done."

"We're not done until I say we are done." he haughtily replied, resting his hands on his cane. Another revelation for Emma and Regina, the mysterious man was dark skinned and very skinny. "However, for your effort, I'll give you the answer to one question."

"What do you want with us?" this time, it was Regina making the questions, "Why are we here?"

"Those are two questions," he pointed out, as if Regina was an idiot.

"Fine. One question: Why are we here?" Regina hissed.

"I'm sticking to my side of a deal."

"What deal?"

"That's again two questions," the man said and stood up, however, his face was still hidden in the shadow, "Now, I've got to go. I've got to see if your son is keeping his end of the deal."

"Wait, Henry put us here?" Emma asked, walking towards their captor, but he was already starting to disappear in a bright green smoke. "Wait! Hey! Come back!" she yelled at the empty spot. Realizing she wouldn't get any more answers, she hit the glass wall.

"It could be a trick," Regina tried to reason, "Why would Henry want to put us through this pain?"

Emma shrugged. "All I know is that when we get out of here, the kid is grounded until he gets to college," she replied and slid down the wall into a sitting position.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo, we have a first glimpse at our villain... Now, let's play a game.
> 
> The game is called: Help Emma guess the villain's identity! It's up to you guys, leave in your comments who you think the captor is, and if someone has it correct, Emma will figure it out during the next update!
> 
> As always, thanks for your support, and thank Chris for being my awesome beta and to-go person!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who commented who the villain was! You definitely had awesome ideas. 
> 
> Shoutout to ItseemsIcanOnlywrite700 for guessing correcting! 
> 
> Also, Kimmiehier didn't guess the villian but yes the motive!

Regina studied Emma, who was lying on the glass floor with her eyes closed and her eyebrows frowned. It seemed as if the blonde was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. It was not the first time Regina realized that Emma took responsibility for every single thing. It all started when Emma was a deputy, then as sheriff, then as the Savior, and now, as the Dark One. It felt as if the world kept putting weight on Emma's shoulders, and she just accepted it. As if it was her job to take care of everyone.

The thought: ' _Because she's the Savior_ ,' crossed Regina's mind as answer to that last statement.

"Emma?" she asked, kneeling next to the blonde.

"I'm thinking," the blonde muttered, not bothering to open her eyes.

"About?"

"Henry."

"What about Henry?" panic tinted Regina's voice, "Do you think he's alright? You don't think that our captor will hurt him, right?"

"No, he's not going to hurt Henry," Emma commented sitting up; her blonde curls falling like a cascade over her shoulders, "I'm just trying to figure out what on earth possessed him to make a deal with Dr. Facilier."

"The one from the Princess and the Frog?" she vaguely remembered the villain even though she loved the movie, especially the music. "How do you know it's him? Dr. Facilier?" Regina asked frowning.

Emma shrugged. "Fits the description," she pointed out, "Also, the Princess and the Frog was one of Henry's favorite movies, growing up. At least, from what I remember with the memories you gave me."

"He did love that movie. Wait. Do you think he tricked Henry?"

"No," the blonde replied calmly, "I think he gave Henry want he asked. Just not exactly the way he had in mind."

"So, if we figure what Henry asked, we can figure what Facilier gave him, and we can find our way out?"

The Dark One shrugged again, "It's just a thought, anyway."

Emma started to lay down again when she heard Regina almost yelling, "It's brilliant!" She pushed herself up and sat cross-legged. Then, she looked at Regina slightly confused: Storybrooke's Mayor never said that any of her ideas were brilliant. Was she becoming delusional?

Regina scooted so she could be facing Emma and looked the blonde in the eye.

"Alright. What could Henry want?"

"The kid has everything anyone could possibly want," she commented, resting her flexed elbows over her knees.

Regina seemed to think about it for a while, and then she started to say, "Except..." before her voice trailed off.

"Except?" the other woman pressed on the matter.

" _We_ are not happy."

Emma rolled her eyes. "I thought we were over this 'True Love' bullshit," she stated, burring her face in her arms. She thought Henry had understood the reasons when she broke up with Killian.

"I know," the brunette sighed. "I told you I didn't need a man to be happy, and I meant it," she added, "But I didn't mean romantically. I meant _us_ , _we_ were not happy with each other."

"Sure, we were."

"No, we _pretended_ to be happy. For Henry," Regina reasoned. "But he's too smart for his own good."

"He got that from you," Emma mumbled and Regina decided to ignore the compliment/insult and keep going on with her reasoning.

"And, the truth is that there are unfinished business between us," the brunette pointed out, "Graham, for example."

"That was a minor setback. And, I apologized for that!" she exclaimed raising her face from her hiding place, sounding offended.

Regina raised her hands in form of surrender, "I know. I know. True, it was a setback, but now our relationship is stronger. Isn't it?"

"I guess." Emma replied, she was still embarrassed by her reaction. Even if she had the right to be mad, she knew that Regina had changed. "What about our pasts? Why did I need to see Rocinante? Why did you need to see my whole childhood?"

"Maybe, that's more of unfinished business with ourselves," Regina proposed, "Because, we can't be really happy if we still have to deal with our demons."

Emma nodded in understanding, and then she chuckled, "It's funny, though. We thought that our captor was torturing us, but he's really helping us."

Regina rolled her eyes, "Now you're starting to sound just like your mother, finding the good in everything. Facilier is a sick bastard and he'll pay for this."

"You should probably not threaten him while, you know... he's holding us captive with all our demons and memories at his mercy," the blonde commented nonchalantly.

The former Queen kept quiet for a while and looked out of the glass cell. She knew that her mother and the Evil Queen were two demons she still had to face.

Nevertheless, she looked at Emma and said, "I'm not afraid, not anymore," green eyes locked with coffee-brown ones, "Not when I'm with you," the brunette added, because being close to Emma, she felt unstoppable.

The blonde didn't say anything, but her eyes switched between Regina's eyes and her mouth. She started to lean forward, closing the distance between her lips and the brunette's. She stopped for a second, after she had invaded all of Regina's personal space, waiting for a sign to back off.

But Regina didn't move to put more distance between them, and Emma took it as encouragement. She slid one hand around Regina's neck and pulled her closer. Closing her eyes, Emma took a second to register Regina's breath against her face. And then, she pressed her lips against Regina's.

The brunette responded to the kiss with the same delicacy and refinery as she did everything. She cupped Emma's cheeks as the blonde's hands roamed down her back and settle on her nice, curvy butt. They deepened the kiss as Emma skillfully lifted Regina and placed her over her crossed legs, each of the brunette's sculptured legs ended up pressed against Emma's flanks.

And suddenly, she was not kissing Emma, but flying backwards. For a moment, Regina thought they broke some kind of curse. But then, she crashed against one of the glass walls and landed on the floor.

"Oh, you foolish girl," someone talked, and Regina didn't have to look up to see who had separated her from Emma because she knew that voice, "Haven't you learned anything from that last stray? Don't worry, darling. Mother will fix it."

Regina stood up quickly, knowing what her mother was capable of. Her eyes stopped at Cora, who reached and plunged her hand into Emma's chest.

"Mother, no!" Regina shouted as the ran towards Emma.

"Regina," Emma groaned at the same time that Cora proclaimed her trademarked ' _Love is weakness_!'

Time seemed to slow for Regina as she saw her mother about to pull her hand out of Emma's chest with heart in hand. She stopped breathing. It was Daniel all over again, only this time, she wouldn't survive the heartbreak. But then, she noticed Cora was struggling to take Emma's heart.

Regina knew the two woman exchanged some words, but she didn't registered any sound as a powerful light came out of Emma chest's and blinded them all.

For the second time in a short period, Regina felt herself flying across the cell and hitting the wall. She landed on one of her sides. Across the room, she saw Emma running towards her, moving her mouth, probably saying something, but she couldn't hear anything.

The blonde took her in her hands and hugged her tightly. After a while, Regina's hearing came back again, and she heard Emma repeating, "I've got you. I've got you."

Regina placed her hand against Emma's chest and felt her strong heartbeat - its rhythm calmed her.

"I thought you died," Regina commented in a raspy voice with tears in her eyes. "I thought mother would kill you like she killed Daniel," Regina added before she started crying in earnest.

Emma shushed Regina, "I'm still here, it will take more than the Queen of Hearts to get rid of me."

"I don't want to get rid of you. Not ever," Regina confessed.

"Good," Emma smiled down at her, "Because, I'm not planning on going anywhere."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go and we're done :) - I'd be more proud if it wouldn't be for the fact that it took me forever to write 10 chapters.

They fell into a silence which for once didn't feel so eerie, but comfortable. After the scare of Emma's death, Regina had wrapped her arms around Emma's waist and rested her head against the blonde's chest. The brunette found tranquility in Emma's heartbeat. It was steady and constant. The blonde had one arm around Regina's shoulder and the other one across her back.

The cage was surrounded in darkness, but it didn't matter, not when they had each other. Because, Regina knew that as long as she was with Emma, they were unstoppable. As long as she was with Emma, they'd overcome any challenges and get back to Henry. And with that thought in mind, Regina closed her eyes and allowed herself to rest for a bit.

The snap of a branch broke the peaceful atmosphere around them. At first, Regina thought she was imagining it but when she felt Emma tense up around her, she knew that the blonde had heard it as well.

"Don't move," she heard Emma whisper in her ear.

The brunette opened her eyes to notice that the scenery around them had changed once again.

Another snap. This time, it sounded closer.

Emma trailed her hand up Regina's neck to the back of her head and embraced the brunette to her chest. The brunette could hear Emma's heart accelerating. She closed her eyes and wished for everything to be okay.

Then, she felt Emma relax.

"It was a deer," Emma breathed out, relief washing her. "Do you know where we are?" she asked with an annoyed tone as she untangled herself from Regina's body and stood up. The blonde was tired of feeling lost.

Regina remained seated for a while because if they were still trapped in hell, she could delay the inevitable for a few seconds. She closed her eyes and breathed in, taking in all the little details of their new surroundings.

The sun shone through the leaves, warming her skin like a mother's touch. The birds whistled beautiful and cheerful songs. There was sounds of running water somewhere close to them, murmuring a peaceful melodies. It was almost serene. But, they were not supposed to be in a relaxing place. They were here to face their demons head on.

She extended a hand for Emma to help her stand up. It wasn't that she actually needed help, but she needed to feel Emma's warmth against her skin. After cleaning the dirt off her pants, she started to walk around, looking for clues.

Regina usually walked with her hands on her hips whenever she wanted to intimidate. Emma noticed, as if the stance would project power. It did, Emma noticed that as well.

The blonde saw Regina reaching for a poster that was nailed to a tree. Her eyebrows immediately furrowed and her frontal vein slightly popped out. Regina's vein usually pops when she laughs, is angry, or is frustrated. Emma added that little factoid to her list of observations and she had always found that bit sexy.

"We're in the Enchanted Forest," she provided Emma with an answer, "What I don't understand is the timeline."

The blonde raised her eyebrows, "What do you mean?"

Regina handed her the paper and continued pacing with her hands on her hips. Emma looked down at the paper and saw a painting of her mother's face with the word 'WANTED' above her head.

"Well, we're somewhere between Leopold's death and the curse. Aren't we?"

Regina rolled her eyes, "Of course, you wouldn't take the time to read the entire poster!" She walked up towards the blonde and pointed to a smaller, printed line that said, "Wanted: Snow White and Family. For treason."

"So?"

"So?" Regina echoed, frustrated, "Snow White didn't have any family when she was a bandit. In fact, you were born on the day the curse was cast. Which can only mean— "

"You didn't cast the curse," Emma finished for her, "Alright, so. This is obviously one of your demons. Do you know where to find Snow?"

"Snow is not my demon," the brunette muttered, "It's the Evil Queen. And what would have happened if I didn't follow through with the curse. That's my demon."

"Oh," Emma let out, almost as a whisper, "I think that might have also be one of my demons... You know, if my parents had kept me," she explained timidly.

Regina nodded at her, unable to say anything to help the blonde feel better. They had already talked about Regina being the cause of Emma's tragic childhood. The blonde didn't seem to hold a grudge against the older woman, though.

"Ok," Emma said in a tone that sounded more like herself and less like a broken girl, "So, we only need to enter your castle. Which can't be too difficult since you are well, you... her... she is you... you are her? You know what I mean."

"Your eloquence will never cease to surprise me, dear," she said, but her tone lacked venom, "And it's not that simple, I might look like her but I'm not dressed like her and without magic, I can't fix that. Also, what are we do once we face her?"

Whatever brilliant idea Emma had in mind was muted when something, rather someone, crashed against her and made her land on the floor. Swiftly, Emma maneuvered to get on top whoever tackled her. And, she was about to throw a punch when she was greeted by a familiar face. It was the same face that looked back at her every time she looked at the mirror, just a bit younger.

"Let me go! She'll kill me if she catches me!" the younger woman struggled to move the woman who was on top of her, but Emma had her younger self pinned on the floor

"Who?"

"Trixie, the unicorn...That's who," Emma sensed her sarcastic tone and looked at the blonde unimpressed. "Are you for real? The Evil Queen!" she almost yelled, "Who are you? You look like me but you're definitely more stupid than me. And, that says a lot."

"You could say I'm from another realm."

The younger Emma Swan frowned, "And why should I believe you? You could be an impostor sent by the Evil Queen."

"You have a birthmark on your right inner thigh. It looks like a bunny," Emma stated. "There's no way I could possibly know that if I'd have been magicked by the Queen. It's not like she has seen you naked."

An almost inaudible "I wish" escaped the younger woman's mouth. And she thought no one heard her slip until Emma's jaw dropped and she heard someone chuckling. She looked over her head to see a brunette standing next to them.

No. Not just a brunette. It was the Evil Queen. Or, at least, a different version of her.

"What are you doing with her?" the young Swan asked the older one as her cheeks reddened. It was one thing to have a version of herself from another realm hearing the confession but it was completely different to have the Evil Queen hear it.

"Nothing that involves being naked. Sadly," Regina answered for Emma and rejoiced in delight when both blondes groaned, "Stand up, Emma! I'm sure she's not a threat."

Emma did what Regina told her to do, and extended a hand to help the other blonde get up from the ground. The younger woman, of course, didn't accept any help. She stood up on her own and dusted off her brown tights.

"You're so whipped," she commented, because apparently Dr. Facilier had incorporated modern slang into his cage of hell.

"Please, tell me how can you have sexual fantasies with someone who has a bounty on your head?" Emma asked her younger self, completely ignoring the last comment.

"Because I'm a teenager and I'm not blind? Duh! Have you seen her wearing those leather pants?" she sassed, "Besides, I bet I'm not the only one with similar thoughts!"

"That's besides the point."

"That's so the point!" Swan giggled. Emma rolled her eyes. She was clearly annoyed by her younger self. "So, not that I mind having two of them here, especially since this one doesn't want to kill me," the younger blonde winked at Regina, "But, what are you doing here?"

"First, stop flirting with her,"

The Enchanted Forest civilian grinned, "Jealous?"

"Stop it," Emma groaned, because it was taking a lot of willpower for Emma not to wipe the smile off the blonde's face with a punch, "We need to get inside the Dark Palace."

Emma's clone looked at her as if Emma grew a third head. Then, she started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"I'm sorry," she wiped the tears coming out of her eyes. "I just thought I heard that you wanted to get into the Evil Queen's castle," she continued laughing until she saw that the other two women were looking at her with unamused faces, "Wait, you're serious?"

"Yes," Regina provided the answer and took a step towards the two blondes. The Emma from the Enchanted Forest instinctively took a step back. The movement didn't go unnoticed by Regina, whose hurt was readable on her face.

"Old habits," the blonde shrugged as an apology, "I mean, you are her after all."

"Here's an idea!" Emma pointed out enthusiastically to break the awkward silence that Swan and Regina had created, "We'll get into the castle, use her as a decoy and when the Queen comes to meet her, we'll kill her!"

"Fuck no," Swan replied right away, "I'm not risking my ass for either one of you."

"But think about it. Once the Queen is gone, you and your family are free from the treason charge."

With a look of determination on her face, Swan nodded, "But I'm just doing this for my family."

Emma and Regina replied with a "Whatever helps you sleep at night," and "No one said otherwise," respectively.

Swan shook her head and muttered something that sounded a lot like "suicide mission" and "these idiots" before extending her arm and looking at Regina

"Well, your majesty, please lead the way," Swan added, bowing before Regina, who rolled her eyes and started walking towards one of the back entrance to the Dark Palace.

Regina was worried. They faced their previous demons and made it through relatively unscathed. But the Evil Queen was the one demon that she genuinely feared for her life and Emma's.

As if reading her mind, Emma took Regina's hand and laced their fingers. "I'm with you," the blonde said and it was the confirmation that Regina needed.


End file.
